Floating dry dock



July 28, 19420 F. R. HARRIS I FLOATING DRY'DOCK Filed Aug. 21, 1940 a w /6 V9 l I I I U- INVENTOR Patented July 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention refers to a self-docking floating dry dock and provides means whereby examinations, cleaning and repair may be safely and expeditiously undertaken at the underside thereof.

It is generally recognized that some of the advantages of the solid one-section trough dock have been sacrificed in all existing solutions of a suitable self-docking type.

In some types, bolt or pin plates are provided for locking together the different sections, but such locking limits the self-docking operation to absolute calm weather as it requires great care to perfectly align the sections.

Another type provides overhanging wing ends of the center section which locks the two end sections thereto, when the dock is assembled for ship use, While the end sections are provided with laterally protruding and relatively low wing walls, between which the center section may be slid when the two end sections are slipped under and around the center section.

This ingenious device, however, requires auxiliary pumping plants for self-docking and also overlapping double side walls and decks for a substantial length of the dry dock.

Now, however, and therein lies my invention, I have discovered that by means of making the end sections so wide that they can be slipped under and around the center section, and by providing substantially self-aligning pin castings close to the outside plating of the center section and registering pin castings in the end sections, I am able to utilize non-overlapping and full height side walls on the end sections and obtain an economical structure which is adapted to transmit the considerable docking stresses that arise during the docking of a maximum vessel through the inside wing plating of the end sections and through the outside wing plating of the center section.

I also obtain a structure readily self-docked and assembled, and by means of slipping the end sections far in under the center section the selfdocking stress may be reduced to but a fraction of the latent resistance of the dock section.

It is also to be noted that the full height wings provide ample support for the over water pumping machinery and the same pumping plant is used for ship docking and self-docking operations.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 shows my preferred arrangement of parts and is a plan view of the dry dock assembled for ship docking use.

Figure 2 is an enlarged end elevation of the center section dry docked in and on the end sections and shows the location of the pin con:

nections.

Figures 3 and 4 are fractional sections of my preferred self centering pin connections and show the detail of construction thereof.

In the drawing where like reference characters designate corresponding parts, I denotes my preferred pin connected sectional dry dock, which comprises a relatively long center section 2 and two short end sections 3.

A pontoon part 4 and two side walls 5 and 6 of the center section and the end sections respectively form regular trough dock sections, and the upper portions of the wing walls are preferably provided with safety decks l, which prevent the sections from being entirely submerged.

In my preferred device, the pontoon sections are provided with circular bottoms and are divided into two lateral pumping compartments with relatively shallow taper ends, by a centrally located buoyancy chamber 8.

A hinged outrigger 9 or working platform is preferably attached to each end section so that the end sections may be readily docked in the relatively narrow center section.

All sections are provided with regular keel blocks l0 and bilge blocks ll shown in Figure 2 of the drawing.

At the outside wall corners of the center sec= tion are the female pin castings l2 provided, and registering there with the male casting is are secured to the end sections.

The male pin casting is preferably provided with two taper tongues M, the tips of which are also tapered, all as shown in Figures 3 and l of the drawing.

In the female pin connection, a taper pocket 15, is shown provided with outjutting side walls i6 and a center diaphragm wall ii, the tips of which are also tapered.

The pin castings are properly bored to accommodate suitable pins I8, straight or tapered, and the pins are shown kept in place in a conven-- tional manner.

The pin castings are provided with a suitable base I!) and are preferably attached to the dock I sections by means of bolts 20 and suitable anchor plate 2| which are properly anchored in the dock structure.

It is to be noted that the side walls of the center section are provided with built out corners 22 which extend laterally from the outside of the Wings and form a firm anchorage for the pin connections without interference with the self-docking operations.

The self-docking operation for the main center section is self-explanatory as it can be seen from the drawing that the end sections may be freely slid under and around the center section.

The only phase of the self-docking operation that requires an explanation is the final reassembly of the dock sections.

It i to be noted that the end sections are pro vided with male pin castings, and I prefer to slide an end section towards the center section in a slightly canted position so that the upper pin castings will be the first to engage one another and the proper pins are inserted, whereupon the end section is levelled and the lower pin connections are automatically brought in alignment and proper pins inserted.

It is to be noted that the taper tongues with their taper ends facilitate the proper engagement and insure alignment so that pins may be readily inserted and the sections locked together.

The use of relatively short end sections, adapted to be placed far in under the long center section, reduces the ship docking stress at the section connections considerably and also the selfdocking strain on the center section may be reduced to but a fraction of the latent strength thereof.

I do not wish to be understood to limit my claims to the apparatus shown, as it is manifest that alterations may be made.in my device to meet different conditions without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a floating dry dock, trough dock sections, including a center section and end sections, full height side walls on each of said end sections and spaced sufliciently apart to allow the center section to slide through, and connections for joining the center section with the end sections, said connections including a lateral extension at each of the upper corners of the center section, and pins extending through said lateral extensions of the center section.

2. In a floating dry dock, trough dock sections, and connections for forming two sections together including two lower connections and two upper connections, each of said connections comprising one or more tapered tongues extendingfrom one section, and a socket member on the other section with one or more tapered pockets for receiving said tongues, and a connecting pin that extends horizontally through the one or more tongues and through the walls of the socket member.

FREDERIC R. HARRIS. 

